Shohei Ohtani’s immediate outlook after removal from Dodgers-Rockies game

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To say Shohei Ohtani’s night against the Colorado Rockies didn’t go as planned would be an understatement for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way star.

Taking the field for his first start since August 13, Ohtani was hammered early and often by the Rockies, allowing nine hits and five runs over just four innings of action in what will go down as his worst pitching outing in Dodgers blue thus far.

And to make matters worse, Ohtani was nailed by a comebacker hit his way, leading to just four innings pitched, and his eventual exit from the game in the eighth inning, when Alex Call pinch hit in place of the usual DH.

Asked about Ohtani’s status for the team moving forward, Dave Roberts explained to reporters, including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya, why he pulled his MVP from the game and what it means about his next appearance, against the Padres in San Diego on Friday.

“Dave Roberts said he got Shohei Ohtani out of the game because he was concerned his right thigh would stiffen up on him,” Ardaya wrote. “Comebacker got him flush on the right thigh. Was already off tomorrow. Roberts said he’s ‘pretty confident’ Ohtani will be in the lineup Friday in SD.”

With the day game finale against the Rockies always scheduled to be an off-day for Ohtani, a rare thing for the two-way superstar, it makes sense that Roberts pulled his DH in the eighth inning, even if he could have been useful in the team’s ill-fated comeback attempt. No, for Ohtani, this was just one of those games where a player burns the proverbial tape and moves on, especially if his leg feels no ill effects from that comebacker when he takes the field against Manny Machado at Petco Park on Friday.

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